Facebook looks to buy solar drone company to accelerate its efforts

NEW YORK: Facebook is in talks to shop for Titan part, a maker of solar-powered drones, to accelerate its efforts to produce web access to remote elements of the planet, consistent with reports from technology web log Techcrunch and money news outlet CNBC.

Both websites cited anonymous sources who are accustomed to the deal and place an acquisition worth at $60 million.

Facebook voice Tucker Bounds aforementioned weekday that the corporate doesn\'t discuss rumors and speculation. Titan part representatives didn\'t reply to requests for comment.

If Facebook will obtain Titan part, the acquisition might match with the goals of chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg\'s internet.org project. The Facebook-led partnership, which incorporates Qualcomm inc., Samsung and Nokia, was launched last summer and aims to attach the over five billion of the world\'s seven billion those that aren\'t already on-line. Presumably, Internet.org might use Titan\'s solar-powered region satellites to function mobile wireless access points.

Google, that isn\'t a district of the net.org effort, launched the same enterprise earlier this year with the goal of obtaining everybody on Earth on-line. referred to as Project Loon, the hassle launched Internet-beaming antennas aloft on big chemical element balloons.

Titan\'s drone-like region satellites, that square measure still in development and not nonetheless commercially obtainable, will keep within the air for as long as 5 years, consistent with reports. Titan\'s web site cites a large vary of uses for the drones, together with region and weather observation, disaster response and voice and information communications. The last 2 may be reasons for Facebook\'s interest in Titan.

But Zuckerberg aforementioned last week at the Mobile World Congress wireless show that access property isn\'t the most obstacle to obtaining the planet on-line. He aforementioned over eighty % of the world\'s population sleep in areas with 2G or 3G wireless access. additional vital, he said, is giving individuals a reason to connect: basic money services, access to health care info and academic materials.

Facebook\'s acquisition of an organization referred to as Onavo last fall additionally fits with web.org\'s vision. Onavo develops information compression technology, that helps applications run additional expeditiously. this can be particularly vital in developing countries, wherever individuals have access to a lot of slower web speeds.